Friday, June 21, 2019

Luggage


Luggage, or too much of it, is a big concern by travelers and passengers alike. Once upon a time, people were able to check two or more suitcase and carry on two bags, plus a purse, laptop case, briefcase, etc. No longer is this true. Now it is wise to make sure your luggage is the proper weight and size before leaving home or you may have an unpleasant surprise when you get to the airport.  In addition, you cannot take bottles over a specified size in your carry-on luggage, carry-on luggage has to be weighed in some airports, and carry-ons with wheels are suspect once you get on board because they must fit wheels first and not side-to-side.  We tried going on one of our cruises taking carry-ons without wheels and really had problems when we had to rush from one end of the Frankfurt airport to the other to get to our plane to the United States on time.

We were (and probably still are) guilty of trying to pack everything as well as the kitchen sink. We would try to pack for all types of weather. This is why we had winter clothes when it was 107 degrees in Moscow, and only a light jacket for March in Amsterdam. I am very thankful for all of the "traveler's" clothes on the market today because at least you don't spend a lot of your vacation ironing clothes that wrinkled in route.

We have bought a portable luggage scale that we use before we leave home and again before we leave for the airport for a return flight.  Even though US airlines say that people can carry on a 22-inch suitcase, the flight attendants tell us that wheels must go first in the overhead compartments.  Before our Dubai to Venice cruise, I bought a carry-on bag that was narrow enough to wheel down the aisle of a passenger jet.  When I got to the ticket counter to check in for our Venice to Amsterdam flight, the agent succinctly told me that I would have to check that suitcase.  I told her I could not because I had my jewelry and medicine in it and it wouldn't fit in my personal computer bag.  She said it was too high.  We argued back and forth and finally I took several items out of the outside pocket of that bag and put in my regular suitcase (which fortunately, was not overweight) so it would fit in the rack to measure your carry-on luggage.  When she finally agreed that we could take that carry-on bag and we left the ticketing area, all the passengers behind us clapped.  Earlier one of the airport attendants told us we were in the wrong line and had us get ahead of people who were already waiting in the right line, so I really felt bad when we held them up.  When we got to the boarding area, we saw many suitcases that were larger than the one the ticket agent was giving me problems with.

One time in France, I was told that I could not take my backpack and my 21-inch carry-on bag because my backpack was too big. It also doubled as my purse. I ended up going into the restroom and completely repacking since I had items in my 21-inch bag that were irreplaceble gifts and didn't want to trust them to the unfriendly skies of my aircraft carrier. I got the last laugh twice concerning this matter. In my backpack, I had a healthy back bag which I stuffed with all of the items I needed as well as those I thought I needed during the flight. When I got to the first US destination and was going through customs, I was permitted to take the bag I had checked since the remainder of my flight was on a commuter plane and the bag had to go underneath anyway. I was thankful for this because it gave me a chance to change clothes.

In the past, I have come home with more bags than I left with. In Australia, I bought so many stuffed animals and puppets that they wouldn't all fit in my suitcase. A friend was throwing away an old suitcase and I asked her if I could throw it away in the United States because I needed it for all the furry creatures that I had. I also bought a bag on a cruise ship after I bought a silk comforter in China which wouldn't fit in my overweight-prone suitcase with my too-many clothes and extras that I absolutely needed while away from home. Now I would have to pay extra for these additional pieces of luggage.

My husband is always telling me to pack light. He says that we only have two hands and do not need any more to carry than what we can comfortably handle. Our son can go on a two-week trip with only a large backpack and a daypack and get along fine. Now that we have such strict regulations on checked luggage, maybe his warnings will finally sink in. Just so we don't go to Italy in the winter any more with only a light fleece jacket.

Now, what did I forget that I absolutely need? Is it my laptop when there are Internet cafes everywhere in Europe (but watch out for hackers), or a 2000 watt hair dryer that is absolutely not supposed to run on anything but 110 volt electricity? Do I need three hairbrushes and three types of frizz-controlling serum? Enough medicines to fill a pharmacy? The list goes on and on.

No comments:

Post a Comment